The Governor of the Bank of Greece Yiannis Stournaras has made the following statement.

'The Bank of Greece welcomes the deal between UniCredit and Alpha Bank, the first major strategic partnership between a large European bank and a systemic Greek bank after the financial crisis of the past decade.

This deal reflects the Greek economy's enhanced credibility over the past few years, as validated by four -thus far- credit rating agencies, which assigned Greek government bonds with an investment grade rating. It also mirrors the substantial progress achieved in the Greek financial system.

Both UniCredit and Alpha Bank merit congratulations on their systematic work leading to this important agreement, which is of relevance not only to Greece and Italy, but to the entire euro area as well.'

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